HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

70

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE office of elections TO CONVENE a TASK FORCE ON automatic VOTER REGISTRATION.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, Hawaii's voter turnout percentage has significantly declined since statehood in 1959, when turnout stood at ninety-four percent of registered voters; and

 

     WHEREAS, the percentage of registered voters in Hawaii who turn out to vote now ranks among the lowest of the fifty states; and

 

     WHEREAS, voter participation is the hallmark of an effective democracy; and

 

     WHEREAS, an improved process of automatic voter registration would be beneficial to the public and reduce any inconvenience currently experienced; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Legislature believes that an automatic voter registration process would increase accuracy and efficiency; and

 

     WHEREAS, removing barriers to registration for eligible voters is the first step to increasing voter participation; and

 

     WHEREAS, automatic voter registration would provide eligible voters with the opportunity to register to vote when applying for or renewing a driver’s license or state identification card unless the eligible voter affirmatively declines to be registered; and

 

     WHEREAS, voter registration through a routine and necessary transaction, such as driver's licensing or renewal, increases voter registration efficiency and effectiveness and voter turnout; and

 

     WHEREAS, automatic voter registration utilizes information that the government has already collected; and

 

     WHEREAS, current federal laws authorize the electronic transfer of voter registration information from the counties and Department of Transportation to election officials and the statewide voter registration system; and

 

     WHEREAS, nothing in the transfer of data would interfere with any election official’s authority or obligation, under state or federal law; and

 

     WHEREAS, six states and the District of Columbia have already successfully enacted automatic voter registration systems; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2016, Oregon implemented an automatic voter registration system, and more than 270,000 eligible voters registered via the system, forty three percent of whom voted in the 2016 general election, thus helping Oregon set a new state record for the number of votes cast; and

 

     WHEREAS, automatic voter registration increases security and results in improved accuracy of voter rolls through the use of an encrypted system to transfer data rather than using paper forms; and

 

     WHEREAS, automatic voter registration would produce long-term cost savings for the State, since processing paper voter registration forms costs almost thirty times more than using electronic registration; and

 

     WHEREAS, innovative efforts have been undertaken in other states to successfully reduce barriers to voting, encourage voter participation, and make voting more convenient; now, therefore; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2017, that the Office of Elections is requested to convene an automatic voter registration task force to:

 

     (1)  Review current data systems used by the Department of Transportation and the counties to identify collaborative ways to streamline data transfers;

 

     (2)  Review existing federal and state laws and practices regarding voter registration, including the Help America Vote Again Act of 2002 and the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and consider ways to bring the State into compliance with existing federal law and to avail the State of potential funding;

 

     (3)  Determine the feasibility, cost savings, and fiscal impact of implementing automatic voter registration in the State; and

 

     (4)  Propose legislation that would implement the automatic voter registration process; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force include:

 

     (1)  One representative from the Office of Elections;

 

     (2)  One representative from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs;

 

     (3)  One representative from each of the offices of the City Clerk for the City and County of Honolulu and the County Clerk for the County of Kauai, County of Maui, and County of Hawaii;

 

     (4)  One representative from the Department of Transportation;

 

     (5)  One representative appointed by the Senate President;

 

     (6)  One representative appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and

 

     (7)  One representative appointed by the Governor; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all members of the task force shall be registered voters in the State; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of Elections is requested to convene the first meeting of the task force no later than July 1, 2017; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to assist the task force as necessary; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2018; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force and the Legislative Reference Bureau are requested to be available to provide testimony to the Legislature and for informational briefings; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall cease to exist on the day of the adjournment of the Regular Session of 2018; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chief Election Officer, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Director of Transportation, Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau, Clerk of the City and County of Honolulu, Clerk of the County of Kauai, Clerk of the County of Maui, and Clerk of the County of Hawaii.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Automatic Voter Registration Task Force